Refrigerators are electrical appliances capable of maintaining a storage chamber below the room temperature. Food can be stored in a refrigerator in a cold or frozen state. A refrigerator may include a refrigerating compartment maintained at a temperature above zero degree celsius and a freezing compartment (or a freezer) maintained below zero degrees.
Recently, with the increasing demand for purified water and ice at home, the demand for refrigerators integrating a water purifier and an ice maker has increased. An ice maker may be installed in the freezer, in the refrigerating compartment, or on the door of the refrigerator. A dispenser is installed on the exterior of a front door of the refrigerator for dispensing water or ice responsive to user requests. FIG. 1 shows a conventional dispenser configuration in a refrigerator.
Referring to FIG. 1, a main body 102 (or housing) of a dispenser is disposed on the exterior of the refrigerator front door and includes a cavity directing to the inside of the door. In this cavity, an ice discharge port 104, an ice guide 106, a water discharge port 108, a water discharge lever 110, and an ice discharge lever 112 may be installed.
More specifically, the ice discharge port 104 may be disposed on one side (i.e., inside the cavity) of the main body 102 of the dispenser. The ice guide 106 may be coupled to the tip (the protruding end) of the ice discharge port 104 and may be used as a channel to guide ice from the ice discharging port to the outside of the refrigerator. The water discharge port 108 may be coupled to the other side (i.e., outside the cavity) of the main body 102.
On one side (e.g., outward side) of the ice guide 106, there is a water discharge lever 110 with a switch (not shown) on the back. By pressing the water discharge lever 110, a user can have water discharged through the water discharge port 108.
Similarly, on one side of the inner wall surface of the cavity, there is an ice discharge lever 112 with a switch (not shown) on the back. By pressing the ice discharge lever 112, a user can have ice discharged to the outside of the refrigerator through the ice guide 106.
In such a conventional refrigerator, the water/ice discharge levers for selectively discharging water and ice typically use mechanical switches.